Lot 51
- 51
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 USD
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Description
- Henri Cartier-Bresson
- LAST DAYS OF THE KUOMINTANG, MERCHANT WAITING WITH MAN EATING, BEIJING
- Ferrotyped gelatin silver print
- 9 1/4 x 6 1/4 inches
ferrotyped, 'a LIFE PHOTO by Bresson' stamp, credit in pencil, and LIFE essay, number, print date, and technician stamps, and with caption and annotations in pencil and china marker on the reverse, framed, 1948 (China in Transition, unpaginated)
Provenance
Time Inc. Picture Collection, Howard Greenberg, agent
Holden Luntz 20th Century Master Photography, Paඣlm Beach
Condition
This early ferrotyped print, made by George Karas in the Life Photo Lab on December 22, 1948, is on medium-weight paper and has been trimmed to the image. For a print of its age, having been part of an active photography archive for 50 years, it is in remarkably good condition. The edges are slightly rubbed, and the corners are bumped. There are tiny, barely noticeable, attendant losses. When examined in raking light, a few minor impressions and creases that do not appear to break the emulsion are visible.
Other prints of this image:
Jean-Pierre Montier, Henri Cartier-Bresson and the Artless Art (Boston, 1996), p. 246
Peter Galassi, Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century (The Museum of Modern Art, 2010), p. 112
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
This print was made during Cartier-Bresson's assignment in China for LIFE in 1948, which the photographer chronicled extensively in his 1956 volume, China in Transition: A Moment in History. While this image ultimately was not used by LIFE, it has attained icon status within the photographer's oeuvre.